Pre-Columbian period
Long before the arrival of settlers and Arawaks, some artifacts date back to pre-Columbian times. The only petroglyph dated with certainty to this period, the Caurita Stone, appears on a rock several meters high. The minimalist anthropomorphic figures point to a major spiritual site on the island of Trinidad, at Maracas Valley.
Another remarkable vestige, the Erin Ritual Bottle, is a 20-centimetre-long, finely crafted pan-shaped flask. Found at the Erin site (South Oropouche), the bottle features red motifs on a white background. The object, originally an offering, is on display at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain.
Colonization left few traces of earlier centuries.
Early painters
Michel-Jean Cazabon is without doubt the most striking painter of the XIXᵉ century. Born in 1813, the son of a wealthy Martiniquais, he studied in England from 1826 to 1830, then returned to Paris in 1837 to train as a painter. As was his custom, he traveled to France and Italy to perfect his landscape painting skills, and his work was exhibited at the Salon du Louvre for several years. After a brief return to Trinidad, he published a series of "Views of Trinidad" lithographs of his native islands. He collaborated on this project with the photographer Hartmann. These panoramas are among the few surviving records of what the islands were like in those days.
On his return in 1852, he brought back European techniques, which he passed on to his students. They merged with a more local style in the landscapes and portraits of local society.
Cazabon, wishing to return to the effervescence of the metropolis and gain the recognition of his fellow citizens, settled in Saint-Pierre, nicknamed "Little Paris" at the time. But without much success. Disappointed, he returned to Trinidad in 1870 and ceased all artistic activity. Nevertheless, Cazabon has the merit of having dominated colonial art, as he is the only artist of this century to have been remembered by history. So much so that, after his death in 1888, the visual arts remained dormant until the 1930s.
The turn of the 20th century
A major event was the founding of the Society of Trinidad Independents by artist Amy Leong Pang (1908-1989), which became the Trinidad and Tobago Art Society in 1943. It was the first Trinidadian art school.
Other associations tried to energize the art scene, such as the Women in Arts Organization, which produced numerous sculptures, paintings and even carnival costumes. Among the women, Theodora Walter (1869-1959), a talented botanical painter, documented the local flora. Walter also painted nudes, including Nudes at Macqueripe Bay. Her style evolved towards an expressionism intended to convey spiritual values.
The 1940s are marked by an intellectual independence that is felt in the visual arts. More than ever, art reflected cultural diversity. Among the cosmopolitan artists, Boscoe Holder (1921-2007), Sybil Atteck (1911-1975) and M.P. Alladin (1919-1970) emphasized African, Chinese and Indian influences.
Holder and modernity
Boscoe Holder, born in 1921 in Arima, achieved international renown over the course of his six-decade career. One of the Caribbean's greatest painters, he was also a designer, dancer, choreographer and musician.
Settling in London in the 1950s and 1960s, he introduced limbo dance and steel drum to the UK. Holder performed with his company on television, where he had his own BBC show, in the theater and even at Windsor Castle, for Queen Elizabeth II.
It was on his return to Trinidad in 1970 that he concentrated on painting.
Holder is a self-taught painter. He uses his dancers as models, in particular his wife Sheila. Portraits of people of color are his signature, testifying to his interest in the Caribbean people and their culture. Six of his paintings were chosen to appear on Christmas stamps.
After his death in 2007, his work was selected by Peter Doig for an exhibition he organized in Berlin. In 2011, a retrospective exhibition was held at the Upper Room Art Gallery, located at Mont Saint-Bénédicte in Sainte-Augustine, Trinidad. His former studio in Port of Spain's Newtown district is now the 101 Art Gallery.
LeRoy Clarke and spirituality
Nicknamed "The Chief", LeRoy Clark was born in 1938 in a neighborhood east of Trinidad's capital, Port-of-Spain. A militant anti-colonialist, his career was marked by his vision of the future of the Caribbean. For Clarke, painting, poetry and dance are rituals designed to sublimate the history of his compatriots. This indefatigable creator also practices theatrical art, staging plays, singing and designing costumes.
From his very first exhibition, "A labor of love" in 1966, his art took people by surprise. He was instantly invited to the Sao Paulo Biennial and then to Expo' 67 in Montreal. That same year, he moved to the United States, where he remained until 1975. There, he made friends with members of the Black Panthers. More than ever, he was determined to fight for freedom in his native islands.
Back in Trinidad and Tobago, he pursued an international career. It was his most astonishing solo exhibitions that made his name. Both his paintings and his poetry are critically acclaimed. All his work supports his fight to help the people of Trinidad and Tobago free themselves from the legacy of colonialism. It was here that he developed the spiritual dimension of his work, accompanying it with offerings to the orishas, the Yoruba deities.
The first Caribbean artist to be honored by UNESCO died in 2021.
Contemporary art
Where can you meet today's talents? Outdoors, with graffiti and frescoes flourishing on every possible support. These include silhouettes from From the Streets, Paul Kain's solo show at Soft Box Studios Art Gallery. His street-inspired motifs offer an unvarnished vision of an often hidden reality.
Photography is also on show at LOFTT Gallery, with works by Haydn Gonzalez focusing on the perception of the other. Reflecting the mixed nature of the islands, Horizons Art Gallery welcomes all facets of creativity. Sculpture, drawing, painting, all styles are welcome behind its pretty purple door.
